Folding stool.



A. A, CASSIDY. FOLDING STOOL. ArPLIoATIoN FILED D110, ze, 1911.

Patented June 10,1913,I

mi R" @www l AW* UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFIoE. l

Aucas. cassini?, F D Es MINES, IOWA.

FOLDING- -STOOL Specication ot Letters Patent. Patented June 10, 1913.

. .appncation med December 2e, 1911. 'serial No. 667,994.

To all fw/om t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALICE AQ-CAssmY, a

Citizen of the UnitediStates,-residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invente Folding Stool, of which the following is a specication. V- t The object of my invention isvto provide a'. combined folding stool and step ladder of the kinddesignedto provide a broad, flat seat, adapted `for convenient use as astool,

' which may be'folded into a small and-oomthelegs may be readily, 'Xtlded by the operator the seat only, and -when s o extended, the

pact space with the legsandbroadfllabseat all substantially in parallel' planes to`V` occupy a minimum of space.

A further objectif-ris" to provide-f. combined stool and step ladder' of this clasbfin which quicklygand easily s actofzgrasping legs Vfwill be firmly and securely braced as required for use, and further 'to provide a device of this kind, which may-'be'folded by-the operator-s actof grasping the front edge ,of the broad, flat seat, and using it, to-

gether with the legs and braces, fas a series of levers for folding the seat and legs tol substantial parallel position, so that the ract of folding or unfolding the device, may be performed readily and easily with theoperf lators one hand.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 shows a central, vertical, sectional view of a folding stool embodying my invention, in its open or extended position. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation ofthe'stool in its folded position. In the accompanying drawings, l have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the seat of the stool, which may be in various forms, but is preferably made round as shown. In the rear of the lateral diameter of the seat 10, a pair of legs 11 and 11l1 are secured to the seat by means of hinges 12. T he legs 11 and'11 are designed to fold rearwardly and the hinges 12 are therefore Asecured to the seat 10 and the legs 11 and 11a on the side of said legs away from the center of the seat. The (gs 11 and 11u extend downwardly and rearwardly from the seat a new ian'd useful- 10 in llateral diverging planes. The upper ends. of the legs ',11 'and 11 are slightly beveled so'that the seat 10.rests squarely upon them when' the stool is in "its .extended 604 to fold rearwardly. 'The seat extends be- 35 ft squarely-.against the under surface of the .seat 10 when the stool is in itsextended position. The legs l1 and 13 swing inthe same or parallel planes. The legsl 11a and l13a swing in the same or parallel planes. Between thelegs 11 and'1r-Peretti;

cross'bars or braces 15. The ,legs 13 :and 13 are relatively of considerable width. Secured between the legs 13 and 13*'atsuit able vpoints are horizontal steps 16; In the uppenfends of the legs 13 on the side adjaf a0'l 'cent -to the hinges 14, are cut; angular notches, in whichare set the ends of a cross bracel, which is secured to the legs 13 and '13a and to the hinges 14. The upper surface of the cross brace 31 is beveled to fit 85 .squarely against the lower surfacefafbf the iieatlO when the stool is in its extended p0- `sition,

Pivoted to the leg 11 is an arm 18, which extends upwardly and toward the.leg 13 90 when the-stool -is in its extended position.

The arm 18 is composed of two portions,

which form an obtuse angle with each other. The upper end of the arm 18 is pivoted to the leg 13.V -The purpose of the bend in the arm 18 will be hereinafter more fully explained. An arm 18a similar to the arm 18, is pivoted tothe legs 11a and 13a. In the under surface of the seat 10, near the front thereof, assuming that the side to which the legs 100 13 and 13 are secured is lthe front, isformedI a notch. 19, whereby a handle is formed for grasping the seat 10. The arms A18 are secured to the legs 11 and 13 and the arms 18L are secured to the legs 1 .1a and 13 4at suclim5 points that when the legs are folded rearwardly, the arms will'permit the pairs of legs to approach to position parallel'nd ad# jacent to each other,a`s showniin Eig. 2.-

In the practc'aluse of my imp'oved fold- 110 ving stool, assuming the stool to in its extended position, shown-xn Fig.' f1, if it is de` Sired to' fold the` same into small space for moving it or packing it, the seat is grasped with the lingers of the operator received in thenotch 19, and is lifted upwardly. When i the edge of the seat 10 which forms the handle, is thus-raised upwardly by means of the (handle, the legs drop to vertical position and are folded rearwardly with reference to the said seat, until the legs 11 and 3 9 13, and 11a and 13, respectively, are in position parallel and adjacent to each other,

as shown in Fig. 2. The purpose of the bend" in the arm 18 is now seen. On account of said bend, the legs are permitted 15 to fold to their position adjacent to each other, and the arms 18 arenot interfered with by the steps 16. "When it is desired to change the stool to its extended position,

the front and rear edges of the seat 10, may

20 be grasped and the seat moved, to horizontal position. The legs will then move to their extended positions, shown in Fig. 1. The

device may also be moved from its collapsed to its extended position by grasping the seat by the handle, resting the rear legs on the kfloor and pushing the upper end of the seat to horizontal position, the upper ends of the rear-legs serving vas a fulcrum, the seatbeing a lever and the front legs the load, and

o the arms 18 moving,r the front and rear legs apart.

lt is believed that my stool has many advantages over any of those novv known. ln.

,a combined folding stool and step ladder, it 35. is diilicult to secure a sufficiently broad seat and at the same time so` connect and arrange the legs that they `niay fold into a smaller space that the Width of the seat. vlin my device, the pairs of legs fold to posi 4|) tion approximately parallel with the seat. lllfvhere, as in ordinary step ladders, one pair of legs is fixed, and the other hinged, the

ladder cannot be packed into a smaller spaceA than the length of the seat or top from front to rear. While capable of Vfolding` into comparatively small space, my stool is firmly braced `When in its extended position. The legs 11 and 11 are braced by the cross bars 15 and the legs f3 and 13 are braced by the .5o steps 16. The legs 11 and 18 and the legs 11- and 13UL respectively are secured together by the'arms 18. Thus the upper ends of all the legs are braced at intermediate points. The Width of the legs 13 and 13a, enables me to firmly secure the steps 16 to said legs and also furnishes a broad support for the seat 1G;

' ln many folding stools and the like, the arms or braces connecting the front and rear sov legs are joined or hinged. Applicant desires particnlarly, to call attention to the arms 18, 18, which are hinged, which do not terfere'vfith the steps 16 and'which firmly ,I e the legs in their extended position. to im account of the manner in which the longs incassa are hinged to the seat and the location and. construction of thearmsy 18, 18, all that is necessary in foldingu my improved stool, is ,to lift it by means of the handle, and its legs will drop on account of their own Weight, to their folded'position. Where a jointed arm is used for connecting the legs, it is usually, if not always necessary, to use both vhands for folding the stool, one hand for lifting' the stool, and one for breaking,r the joint.

In the following` claim l have designated. the elementv which serves as a seat by the term combined lever, handle and seat, for the reason that it performs the function of a lever, when the ladder member is resting upon a floor the operator may, by engaging the handle portion of theseat, use the seat as a lever with its fnlerum on top of the ladder portion, therear end of the seat serving;

the function of elevating the leg'members 85 to space the upper ends apart from the lade der member. While this is beingdone the braces also perforln the function of levers and braces because they serve the function. of positively movingf the lower ends of the leg members upwardly away from the ladder portion to the full limit of the move ment of the leg members. These braces also serve the function of braces, when in use, to limit the movement of the leg members away from the ladder member and l'have therefore in the following claim referred to said braces as combined levers and braces.

lf claim as my invention:

A portable folding step ladder stool. comprising a ladder member having two legs and a number of steps, a leg member bovinex two legs connected by cross pieces, thetop of the ladder member being beveled or inclined so that it Will be in a horizontal position when the ladder member is inclined at the proper angle for forming a ladder, a coinbined seat, handle and lever hinged to the rear portion of the beveled or inclined top of the ladder member and a part of said 11o combined seat, handle and lever being entended forwardly beyond the front of 'the ladder member, and this forwardly projectinf, part being formed with a handle, 'the said leg` member being hinredly connected V to the bottom of the combined seat, .handle w and lever near the rear thereof when the seat, handle and lever is in a horizontal position and two 'combined braces and levers pivoted at one end to the ladder member and 12o extended downwardly and pivoted at the other end to the leg member, said parts being,V so arranged and proportioned that 'the lower ends of the ladder member may be placed on a floor and the upper end of they ladder may be used as a fulcrnm and the front of the combined seat, handle and lever may be grasped and :when moved down Wardlv it will serve as a lever.' to raise the leg member and more it rearwardly away its the said combinedlalra'ces and levers being leg member is mofedupwardly and eweyk Witnesses:

from the-ladder nlembex until tle con'lbined the leg member `to move Way` from Itle seat, handle and lever reet et upon the n-A lower end of ille ladder'member,v and When-15."

ellned beveled 'top of `the ladderl member and 'the seid' seat member is resting; Het upon the V when the forward end of tbe combined sea-t, tOp Gf' the ladder member the Sad Combined. lulu-(lle and lever is elevated the upper end 'braces and levers Will then serve as brces to Y of the leg member will be moved lllereb/` prevent the lower ends of alle ladder memdownwardly and tov` position substantially ber and leg member from spreading. 20A

parallel and adjecent'r'to the ladder-member, Dee Momesxowag, 'December 15, 19.11,

so Aarranged that Wlx' -Ah'e. upper end of the I 'v f ALICE Af CASSIDY' from the ladder meziberthe salicl braces will BEssIE E. DEAL7 serve as levers-and cause (lle lower enclo MARY WALLACE. 

